Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
by Luca-Pacheco
Summary: One moment, many perspectives. Episode Tag for "Till Death Do Us Part".
1. And I Love Her

**FIC: SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND**

**Pairings:** Jimmy/Breena, Tony/Ziva, Gibbs/Abby  
**Rating:** K+  
**Genre:** Angst, songfic  
**Spoilers:** "Till Death Do Us Part"  
**Summary:** Tag for Till Death Do Us Part.  
**Disclaimer:**Neither NCIS nor the characters belong to me. I wish it did, but it doesn't. And I sure wished those Paul McCartney songs belong to me but alas, no.

**Chapter One: And I Love Her**

_I give her all my love  
That's all I do  
And if you saw my love  
You'd love her too  
I love her_

Jimmy knew Breena was the love of his life. For all the care, the stress and time put into creating their perfect wedding, she was willing to put all that on hold so he could go and help his second family in these times of danger and distress. She wasn't just his fiancée: she was his partner.

_She gives me everything  
And tenderly  
The kiss my lover brings  
She brings to me  
And I love her_

The wedding was simple and quick, and yet so beautiful: The vows, the kiss, the sight of each other, knowing that no matter what, they would be together. She felt lucky to have found such a handsome, good-hearted man. He couldn't believe he was really marrying this woman who was as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside.

_A love like ours  
Could never die  
As long as I  
Have you near me  
Bright are the stars that shine  
Dark is the sky  
I know this love of mine  
Will never die  
And I love her_

"I guess we should look for Ducky", she said once they were inside the car.

"Yeah… he said he would be taking a walk down the beach, he doesn't come here often. I bet he must be loving the view. It's good for him to have a moment of calm before the storm"

"When all of this passes, we'll have a wedding. A big wedding. I mean, one with all of them here, both of our families and friends, and we'll have a really good time, and go to our honeymoon…"

They kissed again, and again, giddily fantasizing about their future as Mr. and Mrs. Palmer.

_Bright are the stars that shine  
Dark is the sky  
I know this love of mine  
Will never die  
And I love her_

"Jimmy, Breena!" shouted Breena's dad as soon as he saw them back in the hotel.

"Dad, this was a decision we both made, he needs to go and help the guys on NCIS…" breena answered firmly.

"Mr. Slater, I can explain…"

"Don't,", he said curtly, feeling embarrassed after seeing their startled faces. "Come with me".

He took the newlyweds to the hotel lobby, and all the guests looked at them with undecipherable expressions. They walked to the front, and watched the T.V. ZNN was on: a bomb exploded just outside NCIS, a terrorist attack was suspected. Almost all the personnel on the building was successfully evacuated, but there were also people unaccounted for, most likely injured or dead.

Jimmy watched in sheer horror as the photos and names of his friends appeared among the many people missing. Not a single one of them was spared.


	2. I Wanna Hold Your Hand

**I Wanna Hold Your Hand **

There was no way to win in this situation. It was either hitting your head on the floor, or being beaten by the falling debris. After a couple of seconds, everything went black.

_Oh yeah, I'll tell you something_

_I think you'll understand_

_When I say that something_

_I wanna hold your hand_

_I wanna hold your hand_

_I wanna hold your hand_

Tony could barely open his eyes. He knew he was bleeding, and everything hurt. He didn't know whether his vision was clouded or the lights were off, he only felt a warm weight over him. Little by little, from the depths of his blurry mind memories were being recovered, and he remembered the series of events that led to his current state. That warm weight was actually Ziva, but that only worried him more, since he couldn't feel her breathing, and it was obvious that some time had passed since the bomb exploded. Right then, he noticed they were holding hands. Tony squeezed hers, to no avail.

_Oh, please, say to me_

_You'll let me be your man_

_and please, say to me_

_You'll let me hold your hand_

_Now let me hold your hand_

_I wanna hold your hand_

"Open your eyes, Zi, say something" Tony begged. He noticed the hand he used to hold her head was getting bloody as well. He panicked, but he wasn't able to move, or conscious enough to speak any louder than a whisper, so he just muttered incoherent promises of pancakes and alcohol and movies while he tried to stop the bleeding, though his intentions didn't translate quite well into actions. But then, he felt her hand squeezing back.

_And when I touch you I feel happy, inside_

_It's such a feeling_

_That my love_

_I can't hide_

_I can't hide_

_I can't hide_

She opened her eyes very slowly. She felt cold for some reason, and being trapped in such a small space under pieces of ceiling didn't help. She hated small spaces. There was something pounding in her ear. It took her some time to notice that the pounding was that of a human heart, and a couple of minutes more to remember that said heart belonged to Tony. Well, that was actually a good sign.

_Yeah you, got that something_

_I think you'll understand_

_When I say that something_

_I wanna hold your hand_

_I wanna hold your hand_

_I wanna hold your hand_

"Tony?" Ziva called his name, but her voice didn't come out as loud as she wanted. Nonetheless, he heard it (or rather, felt it), and let out the biggest sigh of relief he'd ever had in a long time.

"Ziva? Are you alright?"

"My head hurts, the world is spinning. It is spinning really fast"

"Not a surprise," Tony said, "Dearing's been playing Angry Birds with us"

"Do you think we will get out of here?" Her voice was betraying her. She wasn't a ninja with nerves of steel right now: she was someone who had gone through too much, and dreaded the thought of yet another ordeal. He picked up on it and tried to comfort her, although he had to admit he was afraid as well.

"We will, hun, we will," he answered, unaware of the term of endearment he just used. Not that it was a problem, he could always blame it on his injuries if – not if, _when_ – they were back in the safety of their homes, or a hospital.

They looked at their hands clasped together, then looked at each other and smiled. It was like they were each other's security blanket in the midst of all this chaos, while they gathered the strength to stand up and look for a way out. At least they had made it through this round.


	3. Hey Jude

**Hey Jude **

Cole and Gibbs looked at the window. There she was, packing her stuff and securing evidence. Man was definitely a creature of habit. "Go! Get her out of here", Cole urged the other man.

_Hey Jude, don't make it bad_

_Take a sad song and make it better_

_Remember to let her into your heart_

_Then you can start to make it better_

Jonathan did what he had to do. He didn't feel heroic, he didn't think he was giving up his life to protect Gibbs', or the girl's. Although it wasn't something he cared about one way or the other either, letting him stay wouldn't make that bomb explode any less. However, he was moved when he saw him looking at the girl. He wasn't a shrink, and he had neither the time nor the desire to analyze or interpret relationships between people, but he could see they had what he didn't: something to live for, something to lose. He felt a mix of pity and envy for both of them. When the bomb finally exploded he felt defeated, but also free, and the littlest bit redeemed. Let the poor man try to have the life he didn't.

_Hey Jude, don't be afraid_

_You were made to go out and get her_

_The minute you let her under your skin_

_Then you begin to make it better_

Somebody said that love is the difficult realization that something other than oneself is real. Well, in this moment she felt all too real. Her eyes were open, but she was disoriented and pale like a piece of paper, at least as far as Gibbs could tell. If something was wrong with him, he didn't notice.

"Abby?" Gibbs whispered. "Can you hear me? Are you O.K.?"

Even though he talked and talked to her, she just blinked, squinted and tried to tilt her head.

"Gibbs?" Abby whispered back, and it wasn't until that moment that they both realized neither of them could hear the other.

_And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain_

_Don't carry the world upon your shoulders_

_For well you know that it's a fool who plays it cool_

_By making his world a little colder_

They sat down slowly and began looking for a way out, but everything had either caught fire of fallen down, and if it was made of glass, it had exploded, and the chemicals mixed with the fire and smoke in very undesirable ways.

"I think we need to crawl to find a way out", Abby signed.

"We'll be fine, we can just walk", Gibbs replied, even though it turned out he was hurt after all. Having said that, he stood up, and as soon as he took a step, he fell down spectacularly, while she went towards him, to make sure he wasn't hurt more than he already had.

"I think we need to crawl to find a way out", Abby signed.

_Hey Jude, don't let me down_

_You have found her, now go and get her_

_Remember to let her into your heart_

_Then you can start to make it better_

Abby was scared. Not that both of them hadn't had encounters with danger before, but this time it seemed like there was no way out, like they were hopeless, depending on everyone and everything but themselves to get out of this situation, no matter how much of a superhero he was or how well she knew her lab. They went out of the lab and as far as they could, but they couldn't quite reach the stairs. They had lost their balance completely, and the foul air was making them dizzier by the second. The best they could do was lean against the wall by the elevator and cover their and each other's faces with his jacket and her robe.

_So let it out and let it in, hey Jude, begin_

_You're waiting for someone to perform with_

_And don't you know that it's just you, hey Jude, you'll do_

_The movement you need is on your shoulder_

Well. At least they had a pillow and something to drink until they were rescued or died asphyxiated, whatever came first.

She took sips of her Caf-Pow!, and then Gibbs did the same. Thank goodness for the Caf-Pow!. It was still somewhat cool, and it was so hot there, it tasted like glory. That was Abby's way of taking care of him. "You were trying to stop the bomb, weren't you?" Her eyes expressed what she couldn't with her fingers_. If you had stayed there, you would have died_.

"We saw you here. Cole offered to take care of it." They didn't know what to think. The guy died so they could have a chance of surviving, when he hadn't cared about killing others before.

"They all must be worried", she finally quipped. "Tony, Ziva, McGee, Dr, Ryan…"

"Dr. Ryan's gone", was Gibbs' reply. She couldn't help smiling a little. "The others haven't replied to our messages. I think I saw McGee upstairs…"

"They're all ok, right? They must be", Abby stated, although she wasn't nearly as certain as she would have liked. She grabbed his face and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Just in case we don't make it".

"We'll make it", he assured her. But that's when the awful realization came to him: the car was parked right in front of the lab's window and had been for a week, and it detonated just as he went to look for her. It didn't detonate when Vance was in the car, or when he was trying to defuse the bomb. That bastard Dearing was onto him. He knew his weakness wasn't the shrink that had just left, but the scientist working in the basement, and that was his way of sending him a message. The fucking asshole.

_Hey Jude, don't make it bad_

_Take a sad song and make it better_

_Remember to let her under your skin_

_Then you'll begin to make it_

_Better better better better better better, oh_

"I'm sorry", Gibbs signed.

"Why?"

"Dating other women, not telling you you're my love. I was just trying to keep you safe."

"That's not how it works", she replied.

"I know that now. I don´t want to lose you. I love you." And it was true. They were so far in all of this, the only safe distance was no distance, they only way they could be fine was to be together.

"I love you, I don't want to lose you either", was her answer.

He kissed her just like she had moments ago. Just in case. It was the last thing he did before they both inevitably fell unconscious.


	4. Eleanor Rigby

**Eleanor Rigby **

_Ah, look at all the lonely people_

_Ah, look at all the lonely people_

Ducky loved the sea. Jimmy and Breena's wedding had been unexpectedly short and understated, but lovely nonetheless. He was going to go back to D.C. with Jimmy in the afternoon, but he wanted to have one moment to himself, basking in the peace and quiet of the beach before returning to the frenzy and chaos of their search for the terrorist that disturbed everything back home.

_Eleanor Rigby, picks up the rice_

_In the church where a wedding has been_

_Lives in a dream_

_Waits at the window, wearing the face_

_That she keeps in a jar by the door_

_Who is it for?_

Soon, a phone call got his attention. Maybe Jimmy needed had found an earlier flight to D.C. That would be good news, even though he found Florida quite charming.

"Hello? Yes, this is Dr. Mallard… dear god… how many? Yeah, of course, uhh… t-t-t-tell them I'll be right away… it's imperative that no one touches any of the deceased until I re…"

_All the lonely people_

_Where do they all come from?_

_All the lonely people_

_Where do they all belong?_

He couldn't take it. Some of his coworkers were trapped inside the building. All of his friends were there. Some of those trapped, were dead. Innocent people, some of which didn't even have anything to do with Dearing's search or what happened to his son. It was true that the field agents were prepared to be in the line of fire and that was something he had to deal with since that was part of their job, but what about those who weren't? What about Abby? What about Fred, the janitor? And Barb, the secretary? What about him? He was supposed to be there, and old enough for his death not to matter that much, whereas Kylie, the substitute MD, was barely in her late twenties, with her whole life ahead of her. He heard what the other person was saying, and he answered back, but it all seemed like nothing more than a really awful dream to him. This could not be happening.

_Father McKenzie, writing the words_

_of a sermon that no one will hear_

_No one comes near_

_Look at him working, darning his socks_

_In the night when there's nobody there_

_What does he care?_

He felt something burning in his chest. He knew what was coming, but he couldn't do anything about it. The team was his family. They all had taken a place in his heart, so it was only natural that if something happened to them, his heart would suffer the damage as well. Within seconds, the doctor ended up unconscious on the sand, the waves of the ocean washing over him.

_All the lonely people_

_Where do they all come from?_

_All the lonely people_

_Where do they all belong?_

_Ah, look at all the lonely people_

_Ah, look at all the lonely people_

Jimmy and Breena called many times, to no avail. They didn't want to give him the bad news, but somebody had to, and it was better if it was them. They went back to the place of the wedding, but he wasn't there either. Jimmy recalled him saying something about the ocean and the sky, and wanting a moment of solitude, so they went in their car to the beach just two minutes away from there.

_Eleanor Rigby, died in the church_

_And was buried along with her name_

_Nobody came_

_Father McKenzie, wiping the dirt_

_From his hands as he walks from the grave_

_No one was saved_

They finally found him, lying on the beach. He didn't look well at all. He was pale and had no pulse. There was no time to call an ambulance. Breena saw the open cell phone, inches away from the doctor. She handed Jimmy the phone, so he could see if he recognized the number that appeared there, and he didn´t, but it didn't matter. They looked at each other: it was obvious he had received the news, and that had caused his heart attack (because it was a heart attack). They got the doctor into the car and drove him as fast as they could to the nearest hospital.

_All the lonely people_

_Where do they all come from?_

_All the lonely people_

_Where do they all belong?_


	5. Let It Be

**Let It Be **

There was chaos and confusion everywhere. The blow threw him away like a ragdoll, _shaking him to the core. But then, a sensation of peace took over. The bullpen was bright and clean. He didn't want to stand up, he was too comfortable where he was right then. Suddenly, he heard a voice calling him._

_"McGee…"_

It was a female voice, a familiar one. He turned his head, and saw the last person he would have ever expected to see.

"…Kate?"

_When I find myself in times of trouble_

_Mother Mary comes to me_

_Speaking words of wisdom, let it be_

_And in my hour of darkness_

_She is standing right in front of me_

_Speaking words of wisdom, let it be_

_Let it be, let it be_

_Let it be, let it be_

_Whisper words of wisdom, let it be_

McGee sat down, trying to soak it all up. "What are you doing here?" he asked. "I mean, I'm so glad to see you, it's just that…"

"…I'm dead." She finished for him.

"Yes. That." McGee reluctantly conceded. "It's been a while. You look just like the last time I saw you."

"You, on the other hand, have changed a lot, Tim." Kate reminisced. "You used to be chubbier, naïve… you're not the wide-eyed probie anymore, are you? You're an adult. You could be the leader of your own team at this point…"

"And yet, here I am. Dying to save a bunch of computer files that may even be broken now for all I know."

"Well, it comes with the territory."

"Is this why you're here? Is this is my time?" he wondered.

Kate looked at him sympathetically. "I'm here to see you. There's no such thing as one's time. You just live for as long as possible, until someone or something gets in the way, and then you fight it if you can".

"I've… I've always taken comfort in thinking that somehow you were meant to… go when you did. That you didn't die in vain."

"That there was a purpose? A greater good?" she continued, still smiling. "There's not. I could have survived and had a nice life for all we know. But what's done it's done. I can't fight for my life anymore, I didn't really have the chance anyway. But you do."

"I miss you, Kate. We all do."

"I know, Tim. I know."

And with that, she disappeared.

_And when the broken hearted people_

_Living in the world agree_

_There will be an answer, let it be_

_For though they may be parted_

_There is still a chance that they will see_

_There will be an answer, let it be_

_Let it be, let it be_

_Let it be, let it be_

_Yeah there will be an answer, let it be_

_Let it be, let it be_

_Let it be, let it be_

_Whisper words of wisdom, let it be_

Outside of the building, there was a myriad of reporters, firefighters, policemen, ambulances, as well as relatives of the people trapped inside, the people who were successfully evacuated, and many curious bystanders. Yellow tape was the only thing standing between the rescuers and the rest.

Leon Vance felt powerless. His status as director was as good as nothing in this moment. The bomb was in his car. It was meant for him, or at least it seemed, and he would have felt guilty to be alive, if it weren't for his fear of leaving his family alone and vulnerable. He received a phone call. It was Palmer.

"Director? I'm sorry I'm calling right now. I just saw the news. Do you know anything about the guys? Are they alright?"

"They're still there," Vance replied. "Until it's declared safe, the rescuers can't go in. Does Dr. Mallard know? Is he on his way?"

Jimmy didn't know what to say. In what was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives, he and Breena were in the waiting room of a hospital, begging for Dr. Mallard's life while on ZNN, politicians of all positions argued about the implications of the latest terrorist attack, bouncing the blame back and forth like a hot potato among conspiracy theories and speculations, trivializing the ordeal his very work family was going through. Somehow, the cries of "muslim terrorists!" and "evil government!" didn't make him feel any better.

"We're in the hospital. Dr. Mallard had a heart attack. The doctors say he's critical, but stable. He's in the ICU right now. Should I go to D.C.? I couldn't leave the doctor here alone…"

"No no, don't worry. I'll call backup this time. You're needed there." Vance didn't see this coming. Now there were two tragedies instead of one. He couldn´t even get near the crime scene. He was with Jackie, the kids, and various bodyguards. He had no control of anything. He could only hope his employees would live to be with their families the way he was with his.

_Let it be, let it be_

_Ah let it be, yeah let it be_

_Whisper words of wisdom, let it be_

_And when the night is cloudy_

_There is still a light that shines on me_

_Shine on until tomorrow, let it be_

_I wake up to the sound of music,_

_Mother Mary comes to me_

_Speaking words of wisdom, let it be_

The firefighters found two people in the elevator. They were pounding the door frantically to catch their attention. They took them out shocked, but conscious. They broke the rules and yet, they got out of it almost uninjured. Others weren't so lucky.

Tony and Ziva were taken to an ambulance, where their vital signs were checked. They both had concussions and needed to be taken to the hospital, but since they weren't in grave danger, they would have to wait.

The rescuers kept getting people out, some of them in body bags. Among the ones that weren't, there was a blond guy with several fractures, and Ziva immediately recognized him. She tugged Tony's shirt. "Tim! That's Tim!" she exclaimed.

"He was inside. I can't believe it…"

The last ones to be rescued were a man and a woman found together in the basement, covered with a jacket and a robe. They were evidently trying to fight the poisonous air, but it just wasn't enough. Tony could tell they were Abby and the boss, despite the masks and how quick they were brought to the ambulance.

Finally, there was one available for them to get on, and they were driven to Bethesda, amid the cries and murmurs of people down the street, none of which were asking for them.

"I thought they had evacuated," Ziva said. "They didn't look good. They didn't look good at all."

Tony turned to the driver, asking him if he could find out about the state of his teammates. The man obliged. If that was him in that situation, he would feel the same.

"Yeah, they gave me some information," he was finally able to say.

"Are they o.k.?" Ziva asked, concerned.

"No," re responded dejectedly.

"Are they going to be?" Tony interjected.

"We don't know. They're alive for now, that's good enough."

Tony took Ziva's arm. This was as good as it could get for now.

_Yeah let it be, let it be_

_Let it be, yeah let it be_

_Oh there will be an answer, let it be_

_Let it be, let it be_

_Let it be, yeah let it be_

_Oh there will be an answer, let it be_

_Let it be, let it be_

_Ah let it be, yeah let it be_

_Whisper words of wisdom, let it be_


End file.
